--- By Andy && --- Two Player Trouble --- For a while, now, I have believed that the Sonic 3 2P zones were originally intended to be full levels. I decided that now was a good time to chime in with this. INTRO: Explanation Of How This Is Possible In Sonic 2, the 2P zones were just 2P versions of the 1P zones, with very few differences. My theory is that Sonic 3 was originally supposed to be the same way. And the 2P zones didn't just pop up out of nowhere--they had to be invented at some point...maybe in a different form... 1: Azure Lake If you pay attention (and play in Genecyst with all the layers except the lowest one removed), you'll notice that this track's background really consists of two parts. One is a mountain range reflected in water, which is the one people normally see. The other is a grassy field. From the shoreline down, it bears an incredible resemblance to the Emerald Hill Zone BG! In addition, the track has grass on all the platforms, but it doesn't go very far down. This is very similar to the final Angel Island Zone. And there's a general lack of gadgets compared to the other 2P zones. Plus, think of the name "Azure Lake." It doesn't really fit AzLk, because the closest thing to a lake (besides the background) is a dangerous patch of mud. So what's my point? Remember that acts of a given zone in Sonic 3 often are somewhat different. I think that the fire (started midway through Angel Island act 1) was concieved relatively late in the game's development, and that originally Act 2 was going to look like Azure Lake, and Act 1 would have been more bluish. With the blue, the name Azure Lake would have fit the zone very well, since the zone already has lakes. Similar but different platforms, less gadgetry than the other zones, a name that doesn't work, a background that could actually work for either one... it all fits. 2: Balloon Park First, I'd like to point out something. Recently, another theorist mentioned that red versions of the Balloon Park balloons were in Angel Island. Those "red balloons" are actually just red spheres. If you'll notice, they are drawn repeatedly in random sizes. They were probably just a way to test the random number generator (needed for the gumball machine) or a way to find out how many graphics could be created with the Sonic 3 code. The reddish tint is because the reds from the ball overflow into other colors. Now, to business: It's impossible to overlook the connection between Balloon Park and Carnival Night. My theory? I think this is already taken, but I believe Balloon Park is the way Carnival Night was planned to look. I don't think I need to elaborate. 3: Chrome Gadget Ever notice how the 2P Zone names go A, B, C, D, E? Anyway, everyone insists on associating this level with Death Egg Zone. However, that's using the Sonic & Knuckles Death Egg Zone, and we have no evidence that it already existed at that point. It is more logical that the Sonic 3 Death Egg would have lighter colors, like the S2 Death Egg. So what do I think? I think it's the Flying Battery Zone. After all, the Flying Battery as seen in Angel Island was much darker than the S&K version. I think Chrome Gadget is the remains of that darker Flying Battery. So what about the current Flying Battery? Well, I think that that was the original Sonic 3 Death Egg Zone. Later on in development, when the developers decided they didn't need Death Egg Zone, they realized that their zone would make a very good Flying Battery. The old Flying Battery was later revived for the purposes of making the third 2PVS zone. 4: Desert Palace I know this zone is quick to be associated with Sandopolis Zone, but that's not all that works. After all, there is a certain mysterious zone from early Sonic 2 screenshots that you may remember: Dust Hill! I think that, originally, Dust Hill was rebuilt to make Desert Palace. The resulting desert zone was put into Sonic 3. However, some guy came up with a better desert zone, Sandopolis, so Desert Palace was stripped down to a 2PVS zone. 5: Endless Mine This one is my oddest explanation yet. I think that this was actually a "test zone" to make sure everything in the game worked correctly. Think about it: There's a loop, a spring, breakaway objects, places where you race up the wall... When they decided on the new 2PVS format, they tested it here. They turned it into a complete 2PVS zone. Then, when they realized they only had four 2PVS zones (ties very likely), they took this zone, added some unused graphics and a soundtrack, and called it "Endless Mine." Finding test levels in a finished game is not impossible; in Vectorman 2, there is a "Ron's Test Level" accessable from the cheat menu. --- Taken from 'Secrets of Sonic the Hedgehog - The Original' http://secretsonic.cjb.net ---